Coronavirus news highlights: Karnataka reports 25,795 fresh cases, Kerala's daily tally almost touches 27,000

With this, the state's tally of active cases has climbed to1,96,236 and total tally stands at12,47,997.

While the positivity rate of the day stoodat15.87%, the casefatality rate touched0.47% with13,885reported so far in the state since the outbreak of the pandemic.

. With this, the states totalCovid-19 tally stands at13,22,054 while the death toll has climbed to5,028.

6,370 Covid-19 patients recovered n the last 24 hours. taking the total number of recoveries to11,60,472.

People wait to be vaccinated for Covid-19 at the General Hospital, as coronavirus cases surge across the country, in Thiruvananthapuram, Thursday, April 22, 2021. Credit: PTI Photo

. In the meeting that also discussed ways and means to boost oxygen availability amid demands from many states for an increase in its supply, Modi was told that the supply of life-saving gas to states has been steadily increasing.

Credit: PTI Photo

. The tank from which liquid oxygen leaked at a civic-run hospital in Nashik, killing 22 COVID-19 patients, was operationalised just 21 days before the incident, an official said on Thursday.

. These days, social media posts in India are no longer about cheeky photos, funny memes or political jokes. Instead, frantic calls to save lives are flooding Twitter and Instagram as the latest wave of coronavirus cases and deaths overwhelm the nation’s hospitals and crematoriums.

. Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Thursday said that the state was facing ashortage of Remdesivir,claimingthatthe drug was in demand owing to publicity. The minister added that there wasno dearth for oxygen in the state.

. Alleging a failure of governance in Uttar Pradesh in the face of the Covid-19 second wave, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has said the Yogi Adityanath dispensation long ceased to act as a protector and support system for the people in the state, and has increasingly assumed the role of an "aggressor".

. Experts don't know yet because they're still studying vaccinated people to see when protection might wear off. How well the vaccines work against emerging variants will also determine if, when and how often additional shots might be needed.

. Pfizer is in discussions with India and committed to make its Covid-19 vaccine available for deployment in the country, the US drugmaker said on Thursday.

. 80 per cent of beds at private and government medical colleges except for emergency beds, mother and childcare beds and dialysis beds, have to be reserved for Covid-19 patients in three to four days, announced Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Thursday. There are 12 private medical colleges and four government medical colleges—Victoria, Bowring, Charaka and HSIS Gosha Hospital.

. Australia will reduce the number of its citizens able to return from India and other red-zone countries to contain the risk of more virulent strains of Covid-19 spreading, the government said on Thursday as it announced changes in its vaccination program.

. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who was discharged from hospital on Thursday, six days after he tested positive for Covid-19, has convened a meeting of ministers to discuss the pandemic situation, which he said had become “uncontrollable”.

. A national association of doctors and scientists have accused the Centre of lending the Covid-19 vaccination drive to "profiteering" by private companies rather than ensuring public financing of the programme.

. The Supreme Court will on Friday hear a suo motu case related to Covid-19 management in the country. The apex court also said it will examine the judicial power of HCs to declare lockdown as the Covid-19 pandemic chokes the country.

. Over 2,500 distress calls from Covid-19 patients were dispatched to ambulances in the national capital daily for the last one week, numbers compiled by the city government show, highlighting the severity of the ongoing wave of the pandemic.

. Several small hospitals in Delhi struggled to replenish oxygen supply for coronavirus patients on Thursday morning, even as some big healthcare facilities received fresh stock overnight.

. As Delhi reels from an oxygen shortage, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that even as the Centre has sentoxygen, the state needs more. He also added that other states were using oxygen meant to be supplied to Delhi for their states first.

. I would like to thank Centre & Delhi High Court that they helped us a lot in last 2-3 days. Due to this, oxygen has started reaching Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal. In our increased quota, Oxygen is scheduled to come from Odisha too. So it will take some time for Oxygen to reach Delhi. We are making an effort to see if we can bring Oxygen from there by air route: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

. Centre also allots companies that will supply oxygen to a particular state. Delhi doesn't produce Oxygen, supply here is done by other states. Some of the Govts, in whose states these companies are, had stopped the supply that was to come to Delhi from these companies: Arvind Kejriwal

.Delhi is facing Oxygen crisis for past few days. Centre fixes Oxygen quota for all states. As per Delhi govt's estimate, the UT needs 700 tons/day, Centre had fixed it to 378 tons earlier & increased it to 480 tons yesterday. We need more but we're thankful to them for this: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. In order to combat the Covid crisis in Maharashtra, the worst affected by the pandemic in India, the Uddhav Thackeray-government has imposed fresh restrictions to "Break the chain" beginning 8 pm, April 22 until 7 am, May 1. People in the state are advised to not step out unless in case of a medical emergency

. We need 50,000 Remdisivir injections daily but now we have been allotted only 26,000 injections for the next 10 days by the Centre. I appeal to the Government of India to allot more injections to the State, I will write to them today: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope. - ANI

. Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was discharged from Bengaluru's Manipal Hospital after he recovered from Covid-19.

. Karnataka-born B V Srinivas is among the few politicians winning laurels on social media for managing a Covid-19 helpline that has helped thousands of people.

. Police registered an FIR against unidentified persons on Thursday in connection with the death of 22 Covid-19 patients at a hospital in Nashik following the disruption of oxygen supply, an official said.

. Soon after Pune's Serum Institute of India announced that the open market price of its vaccine Covishield will be Rs 400 per dose, CEO Adar Poonawalla clarified that this price applies for both the Centre and state governments that buy from it under the new contracts.

. US drugmaker Pfizer on Wednesday confirmed that suspect doses of its coronavirus vaccine that were seized in Mexico and Poland were indeed fake, with doses going for as much as $1,000 a shot, according to US media.

. All hospital beds except those for dialysis patients, mother-childcare & life-threatening diseases to be dedicated for Covid patients in Bengaluru.

All nursing homes & hospitals with up to 30 beds should mandatorily treat non-Covid patients.

All hospitals in the state that have a bed capacity of more than 30 beds will now have to dedicate 80% of the beds and ICU facility for Covid-19 patients: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar- ANI

. Two to four persons per 10,000 who have received theCovid-19vaccine were getting infected with the disease—a number too small to be worried about, the government said on Wednesday.

. India has reported a record 3,14,835 new Covid-19 cases, continuing the steady rise in fresh infections for the 43rd consecutive day, with record2,104 deaths, according to data by the Health Ministry.

. The sharp rise in Covid-19 deaths in Bengaluru has triggered a big medical waste problem for the crematoria: They are struggling to dispose of the waste generated by the ambulance staff and relatives of the victims, besides the equipment used by crematoria staff.

. All travellers from India should be isolated for 21 days instead of 14 to help strengthen Singapore's defences against a new double mutant strain of SARS-CoV-2 that appears to be more infectious, reported The Straits Times citing experts on Thursday.

. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday said his elder son Ashish died of Covid-19 on Thursday morning.

. The Gujarat High Court has asked the state government to respond to complaints regarding criteria for picking up patients by emergency ambulance service, 108, and denying admission in designated coronavirus hospitals to those patients, however critical they are, who are brought in private vehicles. The court has ordered the government to respond by April 26.

. India could get its fourth Covid-19 vaccine by August this year, V K Paul, member Niti Ayog said on Wednesday.

. Britain's Heathrow Airport has refused to allow extra flights from India before the country is added on Friday to Britain's "red-list" of locations from which most travel is banned due to a high number of Covid-19 cases, the airport said on Wednesday.

. The Supreme Court is going to take up only urgent matters for consideration from Thursday, apparently after several judges and their staff have tested positive of Covid-19.

. The spike in Covid-19 cases cast a shadow on the Rama Navami celebrations in Bengaluru on Wednesday as the special pujas and distribution of fruit juice were limited to some areas only.

. Hundreds of private ambulances have been caught up in long queues in crematoria, denying them the chance to be lifesavers for people in need.

. Why does a Covid-19 patient need oxygen? How does SARS-CoV-2 affect the respiratory system? Here's what you need to know.

. The BJP lashed out at the Congress on Wednesday over its criticism of the Centre's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the country was seeing the Gandhi family's "shameful arrogance" at a time when everyone needed to come together to fight the virus.

. Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said people travelling to the state from outside will have to undergo mandatory seven-day home quarantine in the wake of a rise in Covid-19 cases.

. France will impose new entry restrictions on travellers from India to fight a contagious coronavirus variant spreading in that country, an official said on Wednesday.

. After days of denial, the governmentspoke of efforts to scale up oxygen generation, but it may be too little, too late.

. A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked states to use lockdown as last resort, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government tweaked the restrictions in Maharashtra to reduce the presence of people in streets and public transport.

. Amid reports of shortage of antiviral drug Remdesivir, the Centre on Wednesday announced that the production capacity of Remdesivir injections is being ramped up from the current level of 38 lakh vials per month to 74 lakh vials per month.

Coronavirus news highlights: Karnataka reports 25,795 fresh cases, Kerala's daily tally almost touches 27,000

Karnataka reports 25,795 new Covid-19 cases, 123 deaths in the last 24 hours

Kerala reports 26,995 fresh Covid-19 cases, 28 deaths

In view of rising Covid-19 cases in Uttarakhand, all offices in the state, except those for essential services, will be closed for three days i.e. April 24, 25 and 26: In-charge Secretary Dr Pankaj Kumar Pandey

Supreme Court asks Centre to put in place a national policy on issues relating to the supply of oxygen, essential drugs and method of Covid-19 vaccination

Chhattisgarh CM writes to PM seeking immediate information on availability & cost of Covid-19 vaccines to be provided as part of 3rd phase of vaccination drive commencing May 1.

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